The Haunted Corn Maze
by IAmARevenant
Summary: It's almost Halloween at the Alice Academy and Mikan finds herself in a difficult situation.  What could be worse than being lost in a corn maze with a boy she thought hated her?  Finding out it's a haunted corn maze.
1. Shadows

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gauken Alice or any of its characters.**

It was late October as Mikan sat staring out her classroom window. She longed to be outside to feel the crisp air on her face and walk along the paths as leaves crunched under her feet. Instead she was sitting beside her best friend Hotaru Imai, waiting for class to begin. Her best friend was quiet as usual, entranced in a book about money schemes. Turning to face her friend, Mikan opened her mouth to speak, only to notice Hotaru hold up a sign that read:"Don't Even Think About It". Letting out a huff of air Mikan turned and looked around at all of her classmates. Everyone seemed caught up in something, whether it was games or gossip, well except for HIM. He was sitting a few rows back, legs propped up on the desk in front of him with a manga carefully concealing his face. Even from where she was sitting she could tell he was sleeping. "The nerve of that guy!" Mikan thought to herself, as she turned back around in her seat. How did he manage to keep his grades up when he was always sleeping in class? Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Narumi-sensei.

"Hello class! I have some exciting news!" He said, beaming at the classroom. Everyone took their seats and sat waiting for him to continue.

"Since Halloween is next week, the school has decided to hold a festival for you all! Now there will be all kinds of fun activities, but the main attraction will be a corn maze! The middle and high schools have been setting everything up for you all, so be sure to be on your best behavior. The corn maze will be a competition between all of you to see who can make it through with the fastest time! Ok! So let me tell you some of the rules!" Narumi paused in his speech to look around at all of the eager faces. It seemed he had almost everyone's attention now.

"First, you will be going in groups of two. I will be drawing your names out of a hat for the pairings. You and your partner will then get to decide whether you will want to be in the daytime or nighttime competition. You and your partner must enter and leave the corn maze at the same time! The best times for the day and night will get a very special prize! There will also be a Halloween masquerade on Halloween night! There will be food, drinks and dancing, and of course everyone will be wearing a mask! Also you will be allowed to wear appropriate costumes or formal wear if you prefer. Isn't that exciting? Now, are there any questions?" Narumi waited patiently as the students mumbled to themselves. "Ah yes, Shouda-san?" He asked.

"Do we have to dance with our partners? Oh and what are the prizes and what if you don't like your partner? Can we trade?" Sumire questioned, her eyes flickering towards Natsume.

"Ah, good questions! No, you can dance with whomever you want, but it will be a mystery! Of course I can't tell you the prizes because that would take away the fun of it! As for your second question, no you can't trade partners. Don't you think it would be so much more fun to maybe partner with someone you haven't before?" He said, looking around the classroom expectantly. Nobody seemed to agree with what he referred to as "fun" and "mystery".

"Well are there any more questions?" Narumi asked again, looking around still. "Ok, now it's time for the drawing of the names."

Mikan was leaning forward in her seat, eyes glued to Narumi-sensei. She crossed her fingers under her desk in hopes that she would be with Hotaru. Finally she heard her name and held her breath.

"Mikan and…Natsume." Narumi called out.

"NOOOO!" Mikan screamed in her head. There was no way that she would be stuck with that bully in a maze! She turned in her seat to look back at Natsume. He was staring at her with a bored expression on his face as if to say "so what?". She frowned at him and let out a frustrated sigh, turning to face the front of the classroom again. Hotaru was paired with none other than Ruka. Hope gleamed in Mikan's eyes as she came up with a quick solution.

"Hey Hotaru, why don't we trade? That way you and I can be a team and Ruka and Natsume can pair up as well? It would be perfect!" She excitedly yelled in her friend's ear.

"It's not allowed remember? Also I don't want to be your partner because I'm sure you would get lost and I want the prize." Hotaru replied, not looking up from her book.

"Hotaruuuuu!" Mikan whined, desperate to get out of being partners with Natsume. Before she could say anything else, Narumi-sensei asked for everyone's attention again.

"Ok it looks like everyone has their partner now, so now I'll have a signup sheet being passed around. Make sure you and your partner agree whether you want to do the day or night maze!" He said, handing a sheet of paper to the front row.

When the paper had finally reached Mikan, she quickly scanned for Hotaru's name. Seeing her name under the day maze, Mikan quickly scribbled her name underneath the same section. Passing the paper to the next person, she turned to Hotaru.

"I signed up for the day maze too! It will be so much fun!" She excitedly whispered to her friend. Hotaru chose not reply, but a flicker of a smile lit her face for a fraction of a second. Finally the paper was passed back to Narumi-sensei, who read out the names for everyone to hear. Mikan was caught in her own happy little fantasy about her and Hotaru, when she heard something that made her freeze.

"For the night maze, Mikan and Natsume…" Narumi read, continuing down the list as if nothing were wrong.

What the?

She flipped around in her seat and stared daggers at the boy behind her. A smirk adorned his face as he waved an eraser and pencil at her. Her eyes narrowed at him as she tried not to scream in frustration and throw something at him. "That jerk!" She thought to herself, as she turned around in her seat again for the tenth time.

After class she made her way towards Natsume, determined that there was no way in hell she was going to be stuck with him. As she approached, he raised his head lazily and stared at her with the trademark smirk that she hated oh so much.

"You! I wanted to do the day maze, why did you change it to the night one?" Mikan fumed, giving the boy her worst look.

"Hmm? Did you Polka? Well I wanted to do the night and since you're stuck with me, there isn't anything you can do about it." Natsume replied, his smirk growing bigger at the sight of her growing aggravation.

"What's wrong with day, huh? You know I didn't ask to get stuck with you either you know! I should get to decide as well! I can't believe I'm going to have to be lost with you in a maze! I couldn't have any worse luck!" Mikan shouted, her voice bubbling with anger. She stormed out of the classroom, not waiting for his reply. She wanted to cry, why did nothing seem to go right for her?

The week passed with fun activities just as promised. Mikan was having so much fun with all of the food and fun that she forgot what was looming ahead. Soon enough, the day she had been trying to forget about, had arrived. She had been trying to avoid Natsume like the plague, but he somehow managed to show up wherever she was. This made her even more furious, and the smirk on his face showed that he could tell. The sun was setting as Mikan stared out her bedroom window. Soon enough she would have to meet Natsume and make her way through a dark maze. She shivered and started to get changed into more comfortable clothes. Throwing on a simple hoodie and jeans, she sighed and made her way towards the corn maze. She took her time, carefully measuring each footstep as she walked closer and closer to her own personal hell. Looking up she noticed Natsume waiting for her, lanterns hanging near him bathing his body in a strange orange glow.

"Oi pigtails! Hurry up, I don't have all night!" He called out to her. Mikan rolled her eyes and jogged the rest of the way. When she had finally reached him, she looked around and spotted a few middle school students standing in a circle talking. One of them looked up and flashed a smile, breaking away from the group to walk over towards the two.

"Tsubasa-senpai!" Mikan screamed, jumping on him and enveloping him in a hug.

"Hey Mikan, everything all right?" He replied, hugging her in his arms. He felt a chill and looked up to notice Natsume glaring at him. He put Mikan down quickly so he wouldn't be burned by Natsume, and smiled at her eager face.

"Tsubasa-senpai! I don't wanna be stuck in the maze with Natsume! Will you be my partner instead? Please?" Mikan whined, hugging Tsubasa around his waist. A flame ignited in Natsume's hand threateningly.

"U-uh well Mikan, I have to help out with the maze, so I'm afraid I can't. I-I'm sure Natsume will scare away all the monsters anyways." He replied nervously, his eyes never leaving the flame.

"M-monsters? What are you talking about?" Mikan asked, suddenly growing very cold.

"Jeez baka, don't you remember in class? He told us this is a haunted corn maze." Natsume scoffed at her, his hand no longer holding the flame.

'WHAT?" She screamed, clutching Tsubasa once again.

"C'mon Polka, time to test your courage." Natsume grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the other boy.

"Bye Mikan, have fun!" Tsubasa called after the two.

There was a slight breeze as the two made their way down the darkened path. The light from the lanterns had already faded into the distance as they walked along slowly. The corn rustled in the breeze, making Mikan jump and yelp as it cast strange shadows in the dim moonlight. Every sound seemed amplified as she tried to stay as close to Natsume as possible. She couldn't walk in the same space for very long, switching from either of his sides, to cowering behind him. Natsume was amused as he watched the girl whip her head anxiously around in every direction, preparing herself for anything to jump out of the dark stalks. They had been walking for almost five minutes when they spotted a bright light up ahead. As they came closer to it they noticed a small clearing with a large gate and a small gathering of people.

"Ah, Mikan and Natsume! You've arrived!" Misaki called to them, waving and smiling.

"Misaki-senpai! Was that the maze?" Mikan asked hopefully.

"Nope! That was just a little path to warm you guys up! No monsters out there!" Misaki replied cheerfully.

"WHAT? Why didn't Tsubasa-senpai tell me?" Mikan whined, still trembling from the walk before.

"Baka! Don't you listen at all? He told us that the entrance was after the path. It obviously wasn't a maze either! Have you ever heard of a straight maze before? Jeez and you were clinging to me like a baby too." Natsume rolled his eyes at the girls' slowness. Mikan just stuck out her tongue and turned her head in a different direction.

There was a small line formed in front of the large wooden gate. In the lanterns flickering glow, Mikan made out some familiar faces waiting in line.

"Hey Permy!" Mikan called to a green-haired girl.

"What you're here too? I thought for sure you would pick the day maze! You know that I'm going to win the prize, so it's really pointless for you to even try! Although I'm sure that you'll be so scared you won't even be able to move!" Sumire cackled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Suddenly she spotted Natsume standing behind Mikan looking bored.

"Natsume! I'm so glad you're here! It's so awful that you had to be partners with that moron! Why don't you become my partner? We would get through the maze with no problems!" Sumire cooed, her eyes filled with love. Mikan watched as Natsume ignored the other girl's advances, a cold expression upon his face. She turned to Sumire's partner, Kokoro and was about to speak when she saw two figures appear from the "warm-up" path. Mikan let a squeal and ran full speed towards them.

"Hotaruuuuu!" She yelled at the top of her voice, jumping towards her friend. Her friend, who was always a step ahead of her, easily dodged the assault. Mikan landed with a thud on the ground. Standing up she rubbed the dirt off her clothes, a frown adorning her pretty face.

"Hotaru! That was so mean! I thought you said you were doing the day maze! Did you switch to the night one for me?" Mikan asked, rubbing her aching legs.

"No. I'm here to take pictures of him scared. I'll get more profit this way." Hotaru replied, pointing to Ruka beside her.

"Hey! I told you that you can't sell any more pictures!" Ruka complained, embarrassed at the thought.

"Ruka-pyon! I bet you won't get scared! Hotaru's so lucky to have you as a partner!" Mikan beamed at him, failing to notice the boy's blush in the lantern shadows.

"Hey Mikan and Natsume! You're next!" Misaki called to the group. Turning around Mikan walked back over to the gate and noticed that Natsume was standing alone, Sumire and Kokoro nowhere to be seen. Misaki who had been writing on a clipboard, stopped and went to open the gate.

"Alright you guys, I'll be writing down the time you enter, and there will be someone at the end to write down when you come out. Good luck and don't touch any of the monsters!" She winked, opening the large wooden door slowly. It groaned open, and the light showed a small patch of the dirt path that led into darkness. Natsume started forward and Mikan followed hesitantly behind. Mikan looked back to see Hotaru and Ruka waiting next in line. She felt a little better knowing her friend would be following soon after them. Facing forward again she heard the door behind them creak closed, taking with it the last bit of light. Mikan fumbled to find Natsume, her hands grabbing the back of his shirt, as they started to make their way through the almost complete darkness.

**Hello! First time writing a Gakuen Alice fanfiction! Please review and let me know what you think! Or else Mikan and Natsume will never come out of the maze whahahahah! Just kidding :D**


	2. Side Story: The Festival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gauken Alice or any of its' characters.**

**PLEASE READ: This is not the second chapter! This is a side story I thought I would write about the festival before they go to the corn maze! Sorry if I confused anyone! :D **

It was a few days after Mikan had discovered her horrible fate with the corn maze. She had been in a depressed state ever since, but today was the festival and she was determined to have fun. As she made her way towards the festival, her best friend and Inchou were walking beside her in silence. Wanting to break it, Mikan said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Look at this weather! Isn't it great that today's activities will be outside? Isn't this exciting?"

Her question was answered by a small nod from Hotaru and an excited "Yes!" from Inchou. Mikan had been disappointed when some of the "fun" activities had turned out to be doing arts and crafts in the classroom. Even so, she had kept her hopes up for something more exciting. Now as they strolled into the festival, she thought about how much it had been worth it. Magical hay rides that took you to a pumpkin patch, bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving, various carnival games and a café. Mikan's eyes grew big as she tried to decide what to do first. Tugging on Hotaru's arm she pointed at the bobbing for apples game.

"Look! If you can be the first person to retrieve five apples from the tub, you'll win a special prize! Let's do that!" Mikan shrilled excitedly.

Mikan led the way with Hotaru and Inchou in tow. Getting closer they observed five tubs filled with five red apples floating in water. The student who was running the stall was filling the last tub with apples from a bag held in his hands. Noticing Mikan and the others watching, he finished and greeted them.

"Hey there! Did you guys want to be the next competitors? You'll get a prize if you win!" He said, setting down the bag of apples.

"Yes! We'd love to!" Mikan replied without hesitation.

"Count me out, I'll watch." Hotaru said, scooting over to the sidelines.

"Hotaruuuu!" Mikan complained.

"I'll join you! This looks like fun!" Inchou said smiling at the girl.

The boy running the stall explained to the two that they needed three more people to join.

Mikan crouched in front of her basin as the boy tried to round up the remaining people. She put her face close to the water, trying to figure out what exactly she was supposed to do. Suddenly she felt something whizz past her head, landing in her tub and splashing water into her face. Spluttering from the water that had gone up her nose, she turned her head around to find the culprit. It wasn't hard to guess who it was. Standing at the very last basin was none other than Natsume. He was looking in another direction, but the bag of apples was sitting close to his feet. Fuming and wet, Mikan couldn't believe her ears when she heard him utter "We'll play."

Ruka and Sumire popped out behind him, both looking at the tubs filled with apples in curiosity. Just then Natsume glanced over at Mikan.

"Hey Polka Dots! Why are you all wet? You're not supposed to start yet." He called to her with a smirk.

"You jerk! You almost hit me in the head with an apple! That's why!" Mikan yelled, pointing at the boy.

"Tch, you can't prove anything." Natsume muttered.

"Hey don't accuse my Natsume of things! I bet you thought you could get a head start didn't you?" Sumire shot back at her.

Ruka looked from his friend to Mikan, a helpless expression upon his face.

"Uh, well is everyone ready?" The boy running the stall asked awkwardly. Seeing that everyone was, he explained the rules. The first person to get all of the apples out of their tub won. You couldn't use your hands and could only use your mouth instead. Any cheating and you would be disqualified. The five of them got on their knees in front of their tubs and waited for the signal. Hearing the whistle blow, Mikan dipped her head close to her tub, trying to catch an apple with her teeth. To her surprise the apples moved and talked! She tried to catch any of the apples, but they always moved just out of reach. Frustrated she started chomping blindly, and was rewarded when her teeth closed around something hard.

"Oi Polka! Are you trying to eat the tub?" Natsume called out to her mockingly.

Blinking the water out of her eyes, she looked down to see that she was indeed clutching the tub with her teeth. Looking up she noticed that everyone else had stopped bobbing. She sat up wiping away the water that dripped down her face.

"Did somebody already win?" She asked, feeling stupid.

"Yes, Natsume already won." Inchou told her quietly.

"Yeah he won about five minutes ago. It was too much fun watching you trying to catch one of the apples though!" Sumire said snidely.

"Well you could have told me! You must not have done any good either, because you didn't win!" Mikan said, her face flush with embarrassment.

"Well uh, here is the prize. It's a voucher for a free costume of choice in central town." The stall boy said, handing a piece of paper to Natsume.

"Wow! That's so cool! Is that what all of the prizes are for this festival?" Mikan asked the stall boy eagerly.

"Yes most of them are." He lied, wanting to escape from the awkward tension in the air.

"Tch, how lame." Natsume scoffed, stuffing the paper into his pocket.

"How rude!" Mikan mumbled, walking with Inchou towards Hotaru.

When they had reached Hotaru, Mikan had already decided on their next target.

"Let's play some of these carnival games! Oh look, pumpkin darts!" She said, walking towards the stall eagerly. The back of the stall was covered in rows of painted pumpkins. Each pumpkin varied in size, a different prize next to each one. Mikan's eyes grew big when she spotted a cute teddy bear in a skeleton costume hanging next to an extremely small painted pumpkin.

"I'm going to win that teddy bear! It's so cute!" She said, smiling and pointing.

"Uh, Mikan, that's a really small target." Inchou stated nervously.

"Dummy, you picked the smallest pumpkin and you have no aim." Hotaru added.

"I'll get it! It can't be too hard!" Mikan assured the two, asking the stall boy for a turn. Giving him a couple coins, she took the darts in her hand and took aim. Three tries later and she hadn't even come close to hitting the tiny target.

"I was so clooose!" Mikan wailed, wanting another try but finding her pockets empty.

"Wait, I might have some more coins. Let me see…" Inchou reassured the distressed girl as he dug through his pockets.

Just then a boy with raven locks trudged up to the counter in front of them. He handed the stall boy a couple coins and grabbed a dart. Mikan and the others watched in awe as the boy hit the small target with one try. The stall boy took down the teddy bear and handed it to the boy with an amazed look. Turning around they came face to face with Natsume.

"W-what? You! H-ow?" Mikan sputtered, her anger slowly rising.

"What? If you wanted it, you should have hit the pumpkin. It wasn't that hard." He responded, sauntering off towards the way he had come. Mikan's face was red with anger as she watched the boy walk away with her prize. Inchou tried to calm the girl down by telling her she could win other prizes as well. Mikan tried a few more carnival games, but lost at every one of them. Disappointed and now almost broke, they decided to use the remaining money on food at the café. Hotaru of course still had all of her money, but would not spare any even with Mikan's pleas.

The café was outside with round tables scattered on a stone patio. The three seated themselves and scanned the menu for a few moments.

"I'm going to get a caramel apple!" Mikan announced to the others.

"You don't have enough money." Hotaru pointed out.

"What? Well can't I borrow some money from you Hotaru? Pleeease?" Mikan moaned.

"Fine but you'll have to pay interest." She replied simply.

"Yes! Hey Inchou what are you going to get?" Mikan asked the boy who was still studying the menu.

"I'm going to get one too! They sound delicious!" He answered.

The waitress stopped by the table and the three ordered three caramel apples. When the caramel apples arrived, the three ate and discussed the corn maze.

"Who's your partner?" Mikan asked Inchou, taking another bite from her apple.

"Nonoko is my partner and we're doing the day maze." He told her with a small smile.

"Aw how lucky! I wanted to do the day maze too!" Mikan complained.

"Maybe Narumi-sensei will let you switch if you ask him." Inchou suggested.

"No way, my partner is Natsume and he won't let me." Mikan explained sadly. Finishing their apples, they contemplated their next move.

"Let's do the hay ride next!" She smiled, focusing her attention on something else. Little did she know that there was a group of three following a ways behind her.

Up close Mikan could see a hay covered wagon being lifted magically in the air and flying towards a pumpkin patch in the distance. She shielded her eyes from the sun and watched the wagon soar through the air towards its destination. Lucky for them there was nobody in line at the moment because they had all fit themselves on the last wagon. The three stood at the beginning of the line, Mikan jumping up and down with excitement. Another wagon made a landing on a small platform in front of them with a rattle. Climbing aboard the three settled into the hay.

"Wow! I've never been on one before! This will be so much fun!" Mikan blabbered, bracing herself as the remaining people sat down and the wagon took off.

"Hotaru look! You can see everything from up here! Ooh look! There's Mr. Bear's house!" She shouted, pointing to various sights.

"Sit down baka, or you'll fall out." Hotaru replied, tugging on Mikan's shirt.

The wagon finally touched ground and they climbed out into a large field filled with rows of pumpkins. A student was waiting near the bottom of the platform to greet the newcomers.

"Hello, please choose any pumpkin you want." She said, smiling at each person walking down from the platform.

"Mikan's eyes lit up at her words, already spotting a few pumpkins to look at. She skipped forwards, completely forgetting to look where she was going. She tripped and fell into something soft and warm. She looked up and her eyes locked with a pair of crimson ones.

"Natsume?" She said, feeling his arms still around her tightly, holding her up. His body felt so warm and…safe? She was so close that she could smell the soap from his skin and see small details in his face she wouldn't normally be able to. What was she thinking? It had to just be her imagination; there was no way any of this was happening. Natsume released his arms from around her as she regained her balance. Feeling his warmth leave her body felt…disappointing? It had felt like they had stood like that forever, when in fact it had only been a few long seconds. Still confused Mikan stared at Natsume with a dazed expression.

"Hey try to watch where you're going next time." Natsume muttered, walking away. Mikan stared after him, still in shock.

"How strange." Mikan said quietly to herself. He was so hard to understand! One minute he was a huge jerk that bullied her and then the next minute he was…nice to her? Why had he done that suddenly? Boys, a mystery no one would ever solve. She shrugged her shoulders and noticed something out of the ordinary. There was a pink pumpkin sitting a few rows down! Looking closely she saw that there wasn't just orange and pink pumpkins, but almost every color you could think of! She looked down at the one that she had tripped over. It was a small pumpkin that was a pretty crimson red that looked familiar to her somehow. She picked up the pumpkin in her arms and started to look around for her friends. Hotaru and Inchou had already picked out there pumpkins and were waiting by the wagon ride for her.

"Hey Hotaru! Inchou! Look! Isn't this pumpkin beautiful?" Mikan called, walking carefully towards them. Hotaru had picked out a large lime green pumpkin, while Inchou had settled for a pretty midnight blue one.

"Looks familiar." Hotaru said bluntly, watching Mikan's face.

"Well, I think it's a very pretty color." Mikan stated, suddenly remembering where she had seen the color before and blushing. Natsume, who was within earshot, but out of her view, smirked at her words. In his hands he held a small amber pumpkin. When they had all arrived back at the festival, Mikan felt a tug on her arm.

"I want to carve my pumpkin." Hotaru said, dragging her towards a specific stall. Mikan and Inchou insisted they didn't want to carve their pumpkins, so instead they sat and watched Hotaru dig into hers. Mikan watched as she scooped out the pumpkin's insides and started carving a strange design. Soon she was finished and the green pumpkin was covered in…dollar signs?

"Wow Hotaru! It looks great!" Mikan giggled, thinking how her friend's obsession with money never changed.

The sky was growing darker as the trio decided to call it a day and head back to their rooms. Mikan hugged her best friend and Inchou goodbye and skipped up to her room. Entering her room she was surprised at the sudden chill of air that washed over her. She placed her pumpkin on her dresser and walked over to her window shutting it hastily. Had she left it open before she left for the festival? Thoughts raced through her mind as she changed into her pajamas in preparation for bed. Climbing into bed she felt something move and jumped up with a scream. There in her bed sat the teddy bear from before with two pieces of paper attached to it. Picking up the first piece of paper, she read it to herself quietly.

"_I'll give this to you since you were complaining so loudly it was annoying. Also you can have the ticket since it's lame anyways. Try not to pick out anything too weird Polka Dots." _

The card wasn't signed, but it wasn't hard to figure out who had written it. Mikan placed the costume voucher and note on the dresser next to her pumpkin. She smiled to herself and hugged the bear tightly as she fell asleep.

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! :D**

**Unfortunately I will not be putting up the next chapter until I have more reviews!**


	3. Grave Desire

**Disclaimer" I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of its' characters.**

Leaves crunched underfoot, as the two made their way slowly through the darkness. Mikan was hanging on to Natsume's shirt with all her might, which was starting to stretch his shirt out. Peering out from behind his body, Mikan nervously searched in the dark for any danger. Natsume stumbled again in the dark, all thanks to the girl behind him who wouldn't stay still. Finally unable to take it anymore, Natsume stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her.

"Hey, it's really hard to walk when you're hanging onto me like a scared monkey girl." He said, looking down at the wide-eyed girl.

"You jerk! You're the one who wanted to do this maze not me! And I-I'm not scared! I just can't see where I'm going!" Mikan screamed in frustration.

"Tch, whatever." Natsume scoffed, giving her a skeptical look. He turned his back to her again and noticed the path split in three directions up ahead.

"I said that—" Mikan started to say, before a dark-hooded figure jumped in front of them. A scream escaped her throat, as she clung to Natsume with all her strength. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and wished for the monster to go away.

"Jeez baka, you can stop now, he's already gone." Natsume told the girl who was buried in his back. He silently hoped that they could stay like this for just a little longer. He liked the warmth that radiated through him whenever she touched him. He'd be damned if he would ever admit it to her though.

"I-I didn't even hear him coming! I don't want to do this anymore! I want out of here!" Mikan sniffed, releasing Natsume from her hold to wipe her eyes.

"Well of course you didn't stupid. Maybe if you stopped yelling like a maniac all time, you would hear them coming. We obviously can't just leave until we find the way out, so you'll have to deal with being scared a little longer." Natsume sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I-I wasn't scared or anything! I was just surprised!" She lied, turning her back to him while folding her arms across her chest. Natsume silently backed away from the girl until he was completely hidden by the corn. He watched her with amusement, as she turned around to discover he was no longer standing there.

"Natsume? What the…I know you're out there! This isn't funny!" She shouted, her voice breaking in fear at the boy's silence. She started walking towards the spot he was hiding in, unaware of the eyes watching her intently. He stood in the corn, waiting patiently for her to walk past him. He loved the sound of her voice calling for him so desperately. As she walked by, he snuck out of his hiding place and carefully treaded behind the frightened girl.

"Natsume! Come out now you big jerk!" She yelled, her voice showing her fear completely now. Suddenly she stopped at what she thought was the sound of faint footsteps. As she turned to look behind her, Natsume easily slid into the corn to conceal himself again. Scared because she was still alone, Mikan cautiously walked back to where Natsume stood holding his breath. She was right in front of him now, looking around her for the source of noise she had heard earlier. An evil grin lit up Natsume's face, as he grabbed the unsuspecting girl and pulled her into the corn with him. Mikan started to scream, but was stopped by a hand covering her mouth. She struggled with her mysterious attacker, but his arms were like chains she was unable to break away from.

"Finally going to admit you're scared?" A familiar voice breathed along her neck and ears. Mikan was so surprised at how seductive the whisper was, that she forgot herself for a moment. A small bite on her ear from Natsume reminded her of what a jerk he was. She twirled around to face him, her face contorted with mixed emotions.

"You! That wasn't funny! Why did you bite me you idiot! I wasn't scared! I'll never admit anything!" She vowed, walking backwards from him now. Not paying attention to where she was going, a patch of uneven ground had her falling. She let out a groan of pain as she hit the ground hard, a loud ripping sound coming from somewhere around her.

"Ouch!" Mikan whimpered, rubbing the sore leg and arm that had hit the ground. A hand appeared in front of her, and she gladly accepted the invitation off the uncomfortable ground. Dusting the dirt off her jeans, Mikan looked up to see that they were in front of the split paths.

"We're going to take the left path, so try to be careful, okay strawberry pattern?" Natsume instructed, pulling her behind him. Mikan was stunned into silence for once. Wow, sometimes he could be kind of nice. Wait a minute…strawberry pattern? She looked down and…

"Gyaaah! M-my—y-you PERVERT!" She shrieked, trying to cover the hole in the front of her jeans. She tried desperately to pull her hoodie down over the hole, but it was too short to her dismay. Seeing her fumbling to cover it, Natsume took off his hoodie and handed it to her.

"Here, put this on and stop whining." He said.

"Natsume…b-but you'll get cold…." She sputtered, looking at him with worried eyes.

"Just put it on quickly! Don't think anything weird! It would just be annoying if you were complaining the whole time." He replied, looking away. Mikan took off her hoodie and put on the one handed to her instead. Pulling his hoodie over her head, the scent of him consumed her. She breathed it in as she yanked it down to her knees, covering the hole perfectly. As soon as she was done, he started to make his way down the left path.

"Natsume!" She called after him. He turned to see Mikan holding out her hand to him.

"W-well it's so dark that I can't see where I'm going…and I don't want to get separated from you again…It's nothing weird…" She insisted, looking down to hide her embarrassment. She waited for him to call her an idiot, but it never came. A gentle tug on her hand made her open her eyes in surprise. Before she knew it she was being dragged down the path, Natsume's hand clasped in hers. She shivered as the heat from his hand engulfed her cold one. He could be such a bully sometimes, but in the end he could be really sweet. She shook her head to rid it of the ridiculous thought. There was no way she was going to be taken in by this big pervert! The two walked along in silence until they came to a small run-down shack. Mikan stopped in her tracks, tugging on Natsume's hand, forcing him to stop as well.

"W-we're not really going to go in there are we?" She asked him nervously.

"Where else are we going to go?" He demanded, rolling his eyes once again at her slowness.

"W-well! It looks too…we should just go back and choose another path!" She stammered, looking around anxiously.

"How lame, I'm not walking all the way back there." He snorted, starting to pull them in motion again.

"W-wait! Aiiiiee! What was that? Did you see that?" She wailed, pointing to where she had just seen a shadowy figure.

"Huh, must be another monster. I'll bet he's waiting for us on the other side. Why don't we go find out?" He replied, drawing them closer and closer to the opening of the abandoned shack.

"Don't scare me more you big dummy!" Mikan cried, hugging his back tightly. Natsume just sighed and continued his journey forward. Entering through the doorway, they swatted at the cobwebs hanging down and blocking their view. Floorboards groaned in protest beneath their feet, making Mikan jump slightly. Natsume stifled a laugh at the girl's stubbornness to remain calm. Nearing the exit, Mikan let out the breath she had been holding silently. It had just been an empty old shack, nothing to be afraid of. Back in the open cool air, Mikan shivered and walked closer to Natsume. Another split in the path made the two stop for a moment. One path was completely dark, while the other path pulsed with a strange light from somewhere in the distance.

"Let's go this way! It looks like the right one!" Mikan suggested, pointing to the somewhat lit path.

"Nah we should go this way." Natsume replied, pointing to the darker path and dragging Mikan with him.

"You big idiot! Why do you have to always make things difficult! We're going this way!" Mikan shouted, yanking him in the other direction stubbornly. Surprisingly Natsume didn't utter a word and allowed her to pull him towards the awaiting path. The light was blinding and seemed to slow their every movement. Mikan finally stopped and turned to face the boy silently following her. She opened her mouth to tell the boy it was now his turn to lead, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Behind Natsume a man was walking towards them from the shadow of their previous path. He wasn't wearing any sort of costume or hood much to her relief. Noticing the relieved look on her face, Natsume smirked and gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.

"You see the guy behind me? He's a monster you baka." He told her, watching the familiar look of fear creep into her face.

"What? He looks normal enough to me! Stop trying to scare me!" Mikan complained, watching the man come closer. Wait, was that a….?

"Oh, and he has a shovel." Natsume added with an evil grin. Mikan let out a piercing scream and ran with an amused Natsume in tow. The path turned into a grave yard with thick fog, pulsing lights and overhanging trees. Natsume was shouting something to her now, but she couldn't hear him over the pounding of her heart and footsteps. All of a sudden her feet no longer touched the ground and she felt herself falling. Natsume's hand was still tightly grasped in hers, as he fell with her into the grave. Bracing for the impact, Mikan was surprised at how little it hurt hitting the ground below. Actually the funny part was her mouth hurt the most…Her eyes snapped open and were greeted by a pair of crimson ones only inches away. Lips...touching…

"YOU-YOU-I-I-" Mikan started to scream, before Natsume placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up ugly, it was an accident. If you keep screaming like that, the monster will find us." He warned, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Shit, she had bit him a little bit when they had fallen. He moved off of her and rubbed his arms gingerly, inspecting them for cuts and bruises as well. Thankfully the fall hadn't been too far, so he had managed to only gain a few small bruises and scrapes. He glanced over at Mikan who was now sitting up and rubbing her lips. Of course she didn't have any injuries, he had been sure to take care of that. While they were falling he had quickly wrapped his arms around her to break her fall. Protecting this clumsy girl was going to be the death of him. Mikan was still sitting silently in a state of shock…kiss…her first had been with this stupid bully! Her gaze finally rested on the boy sitting across from her. She watched as he brushed the dirt from his arms. She felt the back of her head and continued to watch the boy curiously. She could only see a few scrapes on his arm, but it was hard to tell in the flickering light. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized why her head and body were undamaged.

"Natsume! You idiot! Let me see your arms!" She wailed, crawling over to the boy's side. Tears threatened to escape her eyes as she grabbed one of his arms and examined it closely. "Look at all these cuts! We have to get help! You might have broken your arm!" She continued.

"Tch, I'm fine baka. It wasn't that far of a fall, so stop crying. My arms not broken either, or else I couldn't move it like this stupid. Natsume told the sniffling girl.

"Y-you don't have to be so mean! I was just worried! I can't…do this maze without you…" Mikan said, the last part barely audible to Natsume's ears. The silence was deafening as Mikan blushed and pretended to be very interested in the ground. Natsume was fighting the urge to kiss her again. He swallowed an imaginary lump in his throat and leaned in closer to the clueless girl. At that moment she decided to look up and he froze, caught in the act. Her eyes widened as she realized how close they were again. He didn't care if she hated it; he wanted the feeling of those cold lips pressed to his again. Nothing was going to stop him, not even the dirt raining down on them. Okay, how the fuck was there dirt falling on them?

"N-Natsume!" Mikan gasped, her eyes no longer looking at him. She pointed up towards the sky just as another pile of dirt rained down on the couple. The monster with the shovel was back, and he was filling in their grave!

**Want the next chapter? You know what to do :D PLEASE REVIEW! If you don't Mikan and Natsume will be buried alive! MWAHAHAAH!**


End file.
